Don't Castle the King, Cage the Queen
by Geniusgirl The Original
Summary: Peter plays chess. What's the most powerful piece on a chessboard? [Wishful thinking for Neverlanders]


**AN:** Written because of ideas on Tumblr. Features dark!Wendy, who is totally un-remorseful and all the Neverlanders are in on it. Everyone is evil and basically no one gives a damn. The Storybrooke crew is _screwed. _#savehenry

_**don't castle the King, cage the Queen**_

They think they have him cornered with magic bindings and harshly drawn chalk circles on trees and in soil. Now that he is back in his body and the stupid farce of parenthood Pan has been playing with the Dark One is laid bare, no one is holding back. There is blood on the floor around him and the magic they weave feels old and powerful to his captive bones. They have learnt, it seems, that he is no ordinary enemy. They have reverted to the most ancient forms of magic to stop him and it flatters because he is more than any of them can imagine. He is a form of magic itself.

They almost think they have won. He can see the victory clawing at their lips. They have him immobile and facing the looming threat of that damned box all over again. But they know nothing. The Pan may be trapped, Felix incapacitated and their beloved Henry safe and far away but Peter's trump card is yet to be played. As the most dysfunctional family in all fairytale history circle him, wary now, and properly cautious — properly respectful of the power he wields — he sees the movement in the background.

The Darlings, all three, stumble into the little grove of trees and upset everything. John trips on a root and swipes a hand across a tree. It erases one of the chalk markings. Michael makes to walk over to them and turns up the earth around some of the blood they have spilled — sacrificed — to hold him. Although neither breaks the barrier surrounding him, it has been inadvertently weakened. Regina screeches at them to stay still. Rumple, finally learning to question things, eyes them suspiciously.

And Wendy-bird — his darling, dearest Wendy-bird — hangs back. She looks frail and frightened in the dim light, the modern clothing she wears making her seem even smaller than her usual bundle of white frills. She keeps her lip between her teeth and stares at him from a distance. Her expression is part relief, part anguish. Peter lets a grin slice his face. They know _nothing._

"What are you smiling about, Pan?"

The Savior is the most skeptical of them all. He likes that. It makes her a challenging opponent and he has been winning at these games of chess for far too long. He wants to _play._

"This is the best game I've played in years," he admits cheerfully. "And I still haven't lost."

"Oh, I think you're wrong," their Evil Queen retorts in her condescending way. "You won't be playing anything when we're done with you."

He smiles at her, all knives and sharp teeth. He asks, "Do you play chess, Your Majesty?"

At their confused looks, he continues without giving any of them a chance to answer. All his pieces are already in motion.

"I think you'd like it," he tells her. "It's quite challenging against the right opponent. It's all about strategy. And I think you'd like the strongest piece."

Rumple and the Savior tense perceptibly. Good for them, recognizing the threat in his voice might just help save their lives. This Queen, on the other hand, she might not be so lucky. But then again, sacrifices must be made.

"I thought Neverland had no king," Emma argues.

"It _doesn't._ Obviously, you don't play."

"The Queen," Rumple mutters suddenly, eyes narrowed and posture alert. "The Queen is the strongest piece on a chessboard."

_"Exactly."_

Between Rumple and Emma, Regina collapses. The barrier disintegrates with the slightest push. Behind her, smile as terrifying as anything on Neverland, the White Queen stands victorious.

"Darling, you _saved_ me," Pan gushes, his tone is all mockery but not for her. It is their opponents who must bear the brunt of his triumphant crowing.

By the time Rumple and Emma have regained their wits enough to counterattack, John and Michael are already in position to hold them off. It will not buy a lot of time, but enough for Pan and Wendy to make it from the woods to the beach. In the water, the Jolly Roger floats in wait. Peter grabs Wendy around the waist and jumps for it. He cannot truly fly, not in his present condition, but he has what it takes to propel them on board.

"Good to see you again, Captain," Pan greets. "Sorry it didn't work out with your blonde."

Hook nods his head in acknowledgement, lips twisted in a sarcastic little smile. "Never expected it to. Pirates don't do well with polite company."

Peter throws his head back and barks a laugh. His eye catches on the black sail above.

"So that's where you went," he murmurs. Turning back to Hook, Pan asks, "Captain, why aren't we flying?"

"We're waiting on one last thing, Peter," Wendy tells him. Her tone is all _mother_ and he feels his chest swell because it's been far too long. Pan had insisted on the cage to keep her safe when Henry had set foot in Neverland but he had not anticipated quite so many cock-ups to prolong his time away from her. He tugs her closer, the arm around her waist not having moved, and bends his head to her ear.

"What surprise do you have for me this time?" he purrs at her.

"Sorry we're late," Tink announces from the gangway. "Had some trouble with the pixie dust."

"We brought a present," Felix adds. He has Henry, disoriented and pliant, by the scruff of his collar.

"Excellent," Wendy beams. "John and Michael should be here any moment."

True to her word, the brothers come sprinting toward the ship. They bolt up the gangway onto the deck and all but kick the thing into the water. Behind them, Hook is already barking orders to cast off. Felix has Henry tied to the mast. They are well into the air before the specks that are Henry's real family appear on the shores beneath them. Peter crows at them for fun. A fireball shoots toward them but sputters out quickly. Regina is not soon to recover from the effects of that dagger in her back.

As they sail toward the second star on the right, Peter turns to his Wendy-bird and grins. She smiles back at him, all her soft, sweet girlishness hiding the steel and diamond of her queen's bones.

_They should have known better,_ he thinks, _than to capture the king with the queen still in play._

**END**


End file.
